Watershed Management in the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires. History and Current Reality of a Territory in Environmental Conflict. The Case of Greater La Plata

Abstract

The Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires developed upon a system of flatland watersheds of slow drainage that flow into the River Plate. Given that this territory has the highest density of population in Argentina, the difficult drainage conditions have resulted in many environmental problems complicating the urbanization process and resulting in the degradation of water courses. How has the relationship between the natural environment and urbanization in the region been resolved throughout history? How has the environmental dimension been incorporated into land use planning? And what is the current treatment of the original watersheds? These are the questions that this article tries to answer, emphasizing its analysis in the most populated basin of the Greater La Plata region, the Del Gato stream. Finally, critical points are identified for territorial management that take into account the complexity of the environmental issues of the river basins of the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires (RMBA).